1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical generation, and particularly to a portable solar and wind-powered energy generating system that provides an ecologically friendly, portable system for generating electricity for to be delivered to an electrical load, such as a storage battery, a power outlet, a charger for electrical vehicles or the like, or a combination thereof, or, alternatively, the electrical energy may be transmitted into the pre-existing electrical power grid.
2. Description of the Related Art
Concerns over rising pollution, global warming and the cost of fuel have led to a greater interest in the use of electric power for powering vehicles, either using electric power alone, or electric power in a hybrid vehicle, which also includes a tandem internal combustion engine. The initial limitation on an electric vehicle was the charging capacity of the batteries, so as to allow the vehicle to operate at comparable speeds with internal combustion engines and over comparable time periods.
Technological advances in storage cell design have made electric vehicles a viable alternative to internal combustion engines; however, the ability to recharge the storage cell or batteries remains a major drawback to acceptance by the general populace. For example, improved storage cells may give an electric vehicle a range of 100 miles at comparable speeds with internal combustion engines. This limits the user to a 50-mile radius from his or her home, since he or she must make a return trip in order to recharge the storage cells. Recharging typically involves a power cable connected between the vehicle and a charging station or electrical outlet located within the user's garage or dwelling.
If charging stations were available in public or private locations, such as parking garages, rest stops, or private parking lots associated with a particular business, the electric vehicle could be recharged while in the parking space or parking lot while the driver is at work or shopping. The availability of such charging stations would encourage the purchase of electric vehicles, since potential buyers and users would know that they were not limited to a drive or commute that was set by the charge of the battery or storage cell.
The ability and option to recharge a hybrid vehicle would provide the driver with a choice in fuel selection. The cost of a unit of electricity (measured in kilowatt-hours) is usually significantly more cost effective when compared with a similar unit of a fossil fuel, hydrogen, or alcohol-based fuel. Electricity, however, is typically provided through the conventional electrical grid, and power plants generate electricity through the burning of fossil fuels or through the usage of potentially hazardous nuclear power systems.
As time goes on, the demand for electrical power continues to increase unabated. As a result of the rapid increase in oil and natural gas prices since the late 1990's, the growing awareness that emissions from fossil-fuel sources is the likely cause of global warming, and the need for energy independence for national security reasons, there has been an increased demand for cost-effective electric power generated from renewable resources, such as wind and solar.
In response to this demand, along with innovations in wind turbine design and efficiency, large utility-scale wind turbine electric generator farms (commonly referred to as “big wind”) have been constructed in remote areas of the country with high wind potential. This increasingly competitive source of energy is steadily providing a growing share of U.S. electricity without consuming any natural resource or emitting any pollution or greenhouse gases. Wind energy generation is growing rapidly throughout the U.S. Wind energy has been growing 29% annually from 2002 to 2007 and the installed wind energy generating capacity is now over 20,000 MW (estimated by the end of 2008). Wind power currently supplies 1% of the nation's electricity, but is estimated to be capable of providing as much as 20% by 2020. Similar rapid increases in solar power generation and new solar collection systems are of considerable interest.
Unfortunately, large-scale solar collectors and generators, along with wind farms, presently have numerous disadvantages for providing power to the general public, as opposed to single-family homes, for example. Solar modules, consisting of at least one solar panel, and wind turbines are very expensive and must also be located in areas of high sun exposure and wind potential. Land for a large solar and/or wind energy generation system has to be purchased or leased. In addition, the energy developer has to purchase transmission line easements from the generator to the existing transmission power grid. As a result, the development time is long and costs are very high. Because of these restrictions, many new solar and big wind farms cannot be built for six to ten years.
In addition, such plants and energy generation stations are typically located remotely from the large urban areas experiencing the most rapid growth in the demand for electricity. For solar generation, a clear view of the sky is needed, without buildings blocking solar exposure, and for wind generation a similar clear path for wind currents must be provided. The transmission of such generated electric power over long distances has taxed the existing transmission grid to its limits, thereby adding to the nation's already most pressing energy and electric power problems, including blackouts and brownouts, energy security concerns, power quality issues, tighter emissions standards, transmission bottlenecks, and the desire for greater control over energy costs.
These transmission grid problems have constrained the development of solar and wind farms until either developers or governmental entities build new transmission capacity over long distances. This will require both huge capital investment and very long development cycles because of the need to purchase additional “rights-of-way” or easements for the new transmission lines. Such delays and capital investment substantially increase the per KWH costs of energy to the consumer, thereby making solar and wind generated electric power more expensive.
Smaller scale wind generation is also known and is typically also based on turbine driven power. However, typical wind driven turbines are relatively inefficient, often only converting a small fraction of the wind's kinetic energy into usable electrical power, and also only being effective when the wind is blowing in one particular direction within a small range of desirable speeds. Similarly, small-scale solar generation is well known, but typically is limited to only a small-scale and fixed location, such a single-family home or the like. Presently, neither solar nor wind power are readily available for usage on a public scale, such as that required to provide public charging stations for electrical vehicles.
Thus, a portable solar and wind-powered energy generating system solving the aforementioned problems is desired.